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Starbucks to allow all guests to use restrooms even if they do not buy anything

May 20, 2018

(NEW YORK) — Starbucks will allow all guests to use its cafes and restrooms whether they make a purchase or not, the company announced on Saturday.

Anyone who walks into the store is considered a customer “regardless of whether they make a purchase,” according to the coffee chain. It noted that workers should call the police if they feel any customer is a safety threat.

The policy shift comes after two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia area Starbucks in April. One of them asked to use the restroom without purchasing anything and the police were called while they were waiting to meet a third person for a previously scheduled meeting.

Starbucks announced soon after the incident they will have their employees undergo racial-bias training and close nearly 8,000 stores in the U.S. on the afternoon of May 29.